Thank you for posting about your jig. After watching your post I went straight to the hardware store and built the jog. Your design has much more promise than the jig I bought from EC Lyons. My rocking looks even and consistent now. Finally!
I'm glad you are enjoying them. Let me know if there is anything you'd like to see on the channel and I'll do my best to get it in a video. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
thank you for giving explaining a little what this is, I was in graphic arts field years ago. I started as a Platemaker. making Litho Plates. This is very interesting, Your very artistic.
I've been hand-rocking mezzotint plates for a few years now. I like your rocker jig design so its my next project to build. Please post any further tips you have for the mezzotint rocker jig if you have any. I just finished building my own etching press. Rocker Jig is next.
Hi, I've recently bought a 4"×100 Lyons mezzotint. How can I remove the handle from the blade? By the way, I've took inspiration from your video to build my own rocker jig. Thank you very much. Keep it up!
It's been a while since I've removed the handle, but I think I just twisted/pulled very hard. If I recall, it's just a pressure fit in there. Good luck on the mezzotints!
Could you do a video that goes over each mezzotint tool and how to properly use them? Burnishing is my weak point and I suspect that I'm doing it wrong. Also, where do you go to buy your various tools?
Hi Amanda, thanks for checking out my channel! That’s a great idea. I will definitely put up a video about that. I’ll get it made, and put up next week. It was something I was thinking about while I made this one. When I put up the video I'll add links to where I get them also. Thanks!
Hmmmm - maybe you hit a sore toe.. Some people tend to see art as some kind of meditational relegion.. I'd create a machine - the thought of using hours rocking a piece of metal looks even more boring than lifting weights to me..
A few years late to reply, but yes! I’ve recently built a machine to prepare plates, and you can purchase them pre-rocked as well. But rocking a plate while watching a movie or listening to a podcast is not a bad time either! People spend all sorts of time doing things that others find boring!
Oh and can you explain the difference between burnishing a mezzotint plate and blackening the whole plate with aquatint? Could the same effect be achieved with aquatint?
You can aquatint a plate and get a similar effect, but in my experience to get a really dark aquatint you need to etch pretty deep, and risk etching away/undercutting the adjacent etched pockets (harder to get a consistent ground). I don’t feel like I get enough ground to work with when I want to scrape/burnish from a deep black all the way to a white, since the aquatint is not going to be as deep as a mezzotint mark. That being said, I have done it, and you can also mixed the two (aquatint for lighter areas, and then mezzotint for deep velvety black and any combination of the two). The book “The Mezzotint” by Carol Wax mentions the Goya print “The Giant” as being done as scraped/burnished aquatint, and it's great image! Thanks! - G
hiya! i'm just getting into mezzotint but can't find any reasonably priced rockers? the lowest i can find for a 2.5 " wide tool ia hundred dang dollars! are there any discount supply sources or used art dilly places you'd recommend for a broke art student tryna hack it? have you ever heard of anyone taking a heavy mezzaluna knife and maybe attaching needles or ridiculous rigging i could maybe swing? im happy to get crafty to find a way to make it doable.
HELANTHS I just went through and transcribed all the words in the video for the subtitles to appear. They are in english, but if you press the gear icon by the "CC" button, you can have google translate them to any language. I'm sure the translation will have some errors, but it should be close. I hope this helps, thanks for watching!
My rocker jig is fixed, so I rock one pass, rotate the plate, and do another pass, and so on. I have a bit of this shown in this video: th-cam.com/video/Icks-Vd4zBE/w-d-xo.html Thanks for checking out the video!
Hi, I just had my first printmaking class this semester and even tho we went through various intaglio techniques, I didnt hear of mezzotint. Do you use any oil when burnishing? like castor oil?? thanks.
I've used a drop of oil here and there if I'm burnishing a large area or edges of a plate, but typically I don't. I also avoid it if I'm doing any scraping as well, so the copper pieces that are scraped away don't get gummed up in oil. Good luck!
Seems ripe for automation. Modify a DIY CNC with a cam on the drive shaft to rock the rocker across the surface at pre-defined distances and angles. Let it run and walk away. Large plates become easy and perfect every time.
Thank you for posting about your jig. After watching your post I went straight to the hardware store and built the jog. Your design has much more promise than the jig I bought from EC Lyons. My rocking looks even and consistent now. Finally!
Awesome, glad to hear it! It's much easier than doing it by hand, and I find it makes creating the image easier with a consistent burr.
I am experiencing mezzotint, so thank you for all those videos, they are great!
I'm glad you are enjoying them. Let me know if there is anything you'd like to see on the channel and I'll do my best to get it in a video. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
thank you for giving explaining a little what this is, I was in graphic arts field years ago. I started as a Platemaker. making Litho Plates. This is very interesting, Your very artistic.
I like the miniprint that you made !!!
Witam dziękuję za film.Ciekawe narzędzia Pan stosuje.
Pozdrawiam Marek
I've been hand-rocking mezzotint plates for a few years now. I like your rocker jig design so its my next project to build. Please post any further tips you have for the mezzotint rocker jig if you have any. I just finished building my own etching press. Rocker Jig is next.
Muy interesante la técnica!! Más videos..!!!! 😙
Adoro la Mezzotinta
Gostei muito e quero compartilhar com nossos amigos que fazem calcogravura.
Ivone Beltran I'm glad you enjoyed, thanks for watching!
Hi,
I've recently bought a 4"×100 Lyons mezzotint. How can I remove the handle from the blade?
By the way, I've took inspiration from your video to build my own rocker jig. Thank you very much.
Keep it up!
It's been a while since I've removed the handle, but I think I just twisted/pulled very hard. If I recall, it's just a pressure fit in there. Good luck on the mezzotints!
Could you do a video that goes over each mezzotint tool and how to properly use them? Burnishing is my weak point and I suspect that I'm doing it wrong. Also, where do you go to buy your various tools?
Hi Amanda, thanks for checking out my channel!
That’s a great idea. I will definitely put up a video about that. I’ll get it made, and put up next week. It was something I was thinking about while I made this one. When I put up the video I'll add links to where I get them also. Thanks!
Sweet. thanks
Have you tried or is there an alternative method to rocker? Thanks!
Hmmmm - maybe you hit a sore toe.. Some people tend to see art as some kind of meditational relegion.. I'd create a machine - the thought of using hours rocking a piece of metal looks even more boring than lifting weights to me..
A few years late to reply, but yes! I’ve recently built a machine to prepare plates, and you can purchase them pre-rocked as well. But rocking a plate while watching a movie or listening to a podcast is not a bad time either! People spend all sorts of time doing things that others find boring!
Oh and can you explain the difference between burnishing a mezzotint plate and blackening the whole plate with aquatint? Could the same effect be achieved with aquatint?
You can aquatint a plate and get a similar effect, but in my experience to get a really dark aquatint you need to etch pretty deep, and risk etching away/undercutting the adjacent etched pockets (harder to get a consistent ground).
I don’t feel like I get enough ground to work with when I want to scrape/burnish from a deep black all the way to a white, since the aquatint is not going to be as deep as a mezzotint mark.
That being said, I have done it, and you can also mixed the two (aquatint for lighter areas, and then mezzotint for deep velvety black and any combination of the two). The book “The Mezzotint” by Carol Wax mentions the Goya print “The Giant” as being done as scraped/burnished aquatint, and it's great image!
Thanks! - G
hiya! i'm just getting into mezzotint but can't find any reasonably priced rockers? the lowest i can find for a 2.5 " wide tool ia hundred dang dollars! are there any discount supply sources or used art dilly places you'd recommend for a broke art student tryna hack it? have you ever heard of anyone taking a heavy mezzaluna knife and maybe attaching needles or ridiculous rigging i could maybe swing? im happy to get crafty to find a way to make it doable.
I wish you'd shown how you actually create the rocking motion with the jig. The video showed just the rocker itself, not your hands.
You showed only the jig rocking, but not how it worked as a whole. Can you please add that part on?
Thanks
what is the price of rocker
interesante técnica, me gustaría mostraar el video a algunos amigos, pero ¿Lo tendrías con subtitulos en español?
HELANTHS I just went through and transcribed all the words in the video for the subtitles to appear. They are in english, but if you press the gear icon by the "CC" button, you can have google translate them to any language. I'm sure the translation will have some errors, but it should be close. I hope this helps, thanks for watching!
5:12 one question what size is that rocker ?
When you use the rocker jig do you very slowly move your plate or do you move the jig to get to the next line?
My rocker jig is fixed, so I rock one pass, rotate the plate, and do another pass, and so on. I have a bit of this shown in this video: th-cam.com/video/Icks-Vd4zBE/w-d-xo.html Thanks for checking out the video!
Hi, I just had my first printmaking class this semester and even tho we went through various intaglio techniques, I didnt hear of mezzotint. Do you use any oil when burnishing? like castor oil?? thanks.
I've used a drop of oil here and there if I'm burnishing a large area or edges of a plate, but typically I don't. I also avoid it if I'm doing any scraping as well, so the copper pieces that are scraped away don't get gummed up in oil. Good luck!
Diode Press thanks!
You didn’t show yourself using the pole rocker. I can guess, but still. That would have been helpful. Otherwise very useful. Thank you.
Thanks for checking it out. I have another video of a newer version that shows the rocking in action here: th-cam.com/video/pAIaDdwdzg8/w-d-xo.html
Seems ripe for automation. Modify a DIY CNC with a cam on the drive shaft to rock the rocker across the surface at pre-defined distances and angles. Let it run and walk away. Large plates become easy and perfect every time.